Vancouver Sun Run competitors stripped of their medals for cheating

VANCOUVER SUN04.24.2013

Neena Cheema (pictured), who came first in the 50-54 age category for women at Sunday's Vancouver Sun Run, and Mohammed Razak, who came first in the 55-59 age category for men, were advised Wednesday that an investigation had concluded they had cheated in the race by taking shortcuts.

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VANCOUVER -- Two competitors in The Vancouver Sun Run have been stripped of their medals and barred from participating again in the signature spring event after analysis of video and eye witness accounts demonstrated the pair cheated to win their age categories.

Neena Cheema, who won the 50-54 age category for women, and Mohammed Razak, who came first in the 55-59 age category for men, were advised Wednesday by Jamie Pitblado, vice-president promotions and community investment at The Vancouver Sun and Province, that an investigation had concluded they cheated in the race by taking shortcuts. Neither denied the charge, he said.

"We're absolutely appalled," Pitblado said in an interview. "It's unfair for the tens of thousands of people who participate for the love of the sport or the community aspect of it and who do so fair and square. We won't stand for it."

Contacted by a Vancouver Sun reporter, Razak said, "I took some shortcuts but I didn't do that purposely." He added, "I don't know whether that's cheating. I wasn't there to cheat anybody."

Cheema's phone was not answered when a reporter called. She was part of the BC Place Stadium team. Duncan Blomfield, manager of marketing and communications at BC Place Stadium, said that each staff member on the corporate team retains individual responsibility for running the race.

Pitblado said it appears that Cheema has been cheating for years.

"She seems to start the race and then leave the race course and has some way of getting herself to the 8.5-km mark of the (10-km) race at that point and then completing the rest of the race in a time that is certainly faster than she could possibly have done."

Cheema crossed the finish line 45 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in her category, while Razak finished 24 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in his category.

Pitblado said Sun Run organizers will be putting measures in place in future runs to detect people who try to cheat. These will likely be timing mats that respond to transponder chips worn by runners. These will serve as checkpoints along the route.

As a result of the disqualification of Cheema and Razak, new winners have been named in both age and gender categories. Susan MacRae of Coquitlam (42:29), Irene Jonker of Delta (42:31) and Susan Gordon of Salt Spring Island (42:38) have been named the top three runners in that order in the female 50-54 age category. Gary Duncan of Victoria (36:59), Dave Fish of Surrey (37:03) and Dave Frilund of Port Coquitlam (38:13) have been named the top three runners in the male 55-59 age category.

This is by no means the first time cheating has been detected in major races. Below is a list of other examples:

In 1998, organizers of the Canadian International Marathon in Toronto disqualified Shafie Soheil after concluding she jumped into the fray a few hundred metres from the finish.

In 1980, Rosie Ruiz was declared the female winner in the Boston Marathon. After a lengthy investigation, it was determined that Ruiz took the subway for part of the race.

In the 1904 Olympics, Fred Lorz was the first to cross the finish line in the marathon. It was later discovered he had stopped running after nine miles and taken a car ride for 11 miles before resuming his run of the remaining distance.

In recent years, Kip Litton, a 50-year-old dentist from Michigan, had a series of impressive finishes running sub-three-hour marathons in 50 states to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Other runners began to suspect him after not seeing him among the leaders throughout the entire races. Litton has denied any cheating, but after race directors

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